Indian, American Indian, Native American, Native, Indigenous, Aboriginal or First Nations, the designation given by the United States government and popular culture for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas evolved since first contact over 500 years ago.

During that time, the United States was born, grew and evolved as well.

Now, 243 years after declaring themselves an independent nation—and after 115 Congresses gathered in the past 230 years—the United States sent the first two Native women to Congress. In a midterm election that saw more than one historic first for diversity and representation for all United States citizens, Democrats Sharice Davids of Kansas and Deb Haaland of New Mexico won their place in the 116th Congress.

Davids is a member of the Ho-Chunk sovereign nation. The Pueblo nation at Laguna Pueblo counts Haaland among their own.

On Thursday, January 3, 2019, the two women joined other new members of Congress and returning incumbents to be sworn in to the House of Representatives. Understanding the significance of the moment, the two women celebrated with a congratulatory hug.

And Davids loaned Haaland her scarf to dry her eyes.

Watch the moment here.

Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids, the first Native-American women to ever serve in Congress, share a moment after being officially sworn in: pic.twitter.com/acIRC5hX20

Pueblo women watch as Sharice Davids of Kansas cast her first vote in the 116th Congress. Davids, a citizen of the Ho Chunk Nation, voted for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Davids & Pelosi are in the new Democratic majority in the House. #NativeCongresspic.twitter.com/801O6nZsyA